


Selection trilogy: The one alternate ending

by xxTAO



Category: The Selection Series - Kiera Cass
Genre: Alternate Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 03:11:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14967875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxTAO/pseuds/xxTAO
Summary: Alternate ending for the book "the one" from the selection series. I'm not changing the final outcome, because it wouldn't line up with the sequels, but changing how certain things progressed. It starts at the point where Maxon sends away Aspen after Maxon saw America and Aspen together.I do not own the characters.





	Selection trilogy: The one alternate ending

Alternate ending for the book "the one" from the selection series. I'm not changing the final outcome, because it wouldn't line up with the sequels, but changing how certain things progressed. It starts at the point where Maxon sends away Aspen after Maxon saw America and Aspen together.  
  
\------  
  
  
"I cannot believe it. Actually, I can and that's the worst damn part."

"Maxon-" 

"I should've known. The letter, the way you talk to each other like you've known each other for ages, that dance at the Halloween party."

"No, Maxon-"I tried again.

"I trusted you! And you've just been playing with me." Maxon screamed angrily.

"Maxon, please just-"

"No!" He interrupted, breathing hard, "I want you out, leave this place immediately."

"LISTEN!" I screamed while slapping him across the cheek.  
I was shocked at myself, but it had worked. Maxon was finally shutting up, looking at me with big eyes and his hand on the place where mine had left a red mark. His shocked expression turned into an angry one, but I was angrier. How dare he be so mad at me? He had no right. 

"Didn't you do the same? Isn't Kriss your Aspen?" I yelled. This wasn't at all what I wanted to say, I wanted to tell him that Aspen was in the past, that I wanted to tell him that aspen was my ex, that the one in my heart now was him and only him, but those words didn't come out. Maxon looked taken aback, but collected himself quickly. His cool voice felt like it froze my heart.

"America, leave."  
  
\---------  
  
The room was beautifully decorated with gold and white, in celebration of Prince Maxon finally choosing his wife. I didn't feel like celebrating at all. Gavril was talking to the camera at the far end of the room, the girls sat at the long table and the king, queen and Adele sat at a table that was placed opposite to the table where they usually sat, where Maxon, Kriss and I were seated now. I was on his right, Kriss on his left. He talked only to Kriss though, sometimes they laughed together.  
Celeste smiled at me, mouthing:  _What are you so worried about?_  
She had no idea. I shook my head.  
_He won't be choosing me._  
I let that sink in. He won't be choosing me. I won't be his wife. After this, I'll only see him on the tv, happily smiling at the public with Kriss by his side. I suddenly felt sick.  
Maxon turned to me, his mouth near my ear.

"Smile until this is over, America.", he said between his teeth. I nodded, and forced a smile on my face. 

"That'll do, he mumbled, before turning to Kriss again. I couldn't look into the room. If I made eye-contact with anyone, I was sure my smile wouldn't last and I would burst out in tears. I may have lost Maxon, but I would keep my dignity. Not that that felt very important right now. Instead, I looked at the lamps, the intricate ceiling and the walls.  
Perhaps because I was looking at the walls, I saw something wasn't right. Suddenly the wall began to shake and the guards jumped away from it at the same time as if they had been signaled.  
A big explosion blew a gaping hole in the wall, dust and pieces of the cement flying around. I bolted upright, as did Maxon and Kriss. People began screaming, running and guards poured in. The guards who had been standing by the wall pulled out red bandana's And put them around their heads, and began shooting. But they weren't shooting at whoever blew up the wall, they were shooting at us.  
Panicked I looked at where I could exit. The door was all the way on the other side of the room.  
I saw Celeste running towards the door, when a small red hole appeared on her back before she went down. The red spot expanded, wetting her beautiful dress with blood.  
I screamed, looking at the lifeless body of my friend.  
The rebel guards kept shooting and more and more people went down with small red holes through which a bullet had passed.  
_Rebel guards,_  I repeated to myself, and then it hit me. The guards that had left their posts hadn't left at all, they'd been killed and their place had been taken by southern rebels. Not that this knowledge would help us now. Another explosion and rubble flew around the room. I just stood there, absolutely frozen.  
I scanned the room. _Where are the king and queen?_  
Beside me Maxon had sprung into action, carrying Kriss who had fainted. 

"Hurry America", he yelled, "run!" And we did. I ran as fast as I could, trying to keep up with Maxon, who was faster than I was, even though he was carrying Kriss.  My legs felt like blubber and I tumbled forward when I tripped on something. 

It was a body. I breathed hard, looking shocked at the lifeless eyes of Adele.  
Maxon stopped in his tracks, handing Kriss over to Aspen, who had suddenly appeared beside them.

"Bring her to safety." Aspen nodded. Maxon ran back toward me, to help me up, but I shook my head. He shouldn't see this. 

"Go!" I yelled. "Please, I can get up myself." 

But it was too late. Maxon had already seen.  
His eyes widened, now looking around if his mother and father lay here somewhere too.  
I followed his gaze, and saw queen Amberly cornered by a few rebel guards.  
Before Maxon could even begin running towards her, a red dot appeared between her eyes.  
Maxon screamed, running enraged towards his mother's body, I quickly got up, following him. 

"Maxon, Wait!" I exclaimed, but he ignored my calls, or he simply couldn't hear me over the chaos. 

The third explosion sent part of the ceiling flying, down. Down, towards Maxon. 

"No!" I shrieked. 

It was too late. Maxon got trapped under the rubble. I stood frozen, holding my breath. My body wouldn't move. I only breathed out when I saw Maxon was still alive. Maxon's legs were stuck between the stones and he tried to use his arms to get himself free. It didn't work. He really was stuck there and I wasn't the only one who noticed.  
Almost in slow-motion, I saw a rebel point his gun at Maxon.  
Suddenly, instead of not moving at all, my legs began to move on their own. I didn't know what I was doing, all I could think of was Maxon. Vaguely I heard Maxon scream "America, no!" In the background, just before I jumped in front of Maxon, and the bullet that was meant for him hit me, slamming me to the ground.  
The pain was excruciating, nothing like the flesh-wound I had gotten before. I felt warm blood gushing out of my shoulder and the energy draining slowly but surely out of my body.  
My face was inches from Maxon's, as he looked at me in shock. 

"America, why?" He sobbed. Maxon never sobbed, but he did now. For me.  
My breath uneven, my voice ragged, I whispered:

"Because I love you, Maxon Schreave, I love you, I love you, I love you..." 

Tenderly he touched my hair. 

"I love you too." He whispered, while the rebel who'd just shot me, began to aim again, to hit his original target, my eyes felt heavy.

"Till death do us part." I said, just before everything went black.  
  
  
\------  
  
When I regained consciousness, I saw a wooden ceiling. I blinked fast, trying to adjust to the light and tried to move. That wasn't smart. A jolt of pain shot through my shoulder, extending to my arm and upper-body.  
Clumsily I half crawled half fell out of the bed. Luckily I didn't fall on my bad shoulder.  
Near my bed, Mary and Lucy stood huddled together, whispering. The thud of my body hitting the floor made them turn to me. 

"Lady America!" Mary said relieved. "You've awoken, thank the heavens."  
Mary and Lucy, only two of them.

"Where is Anna?" 

Immediately the small smile that had appeared on their lips melted away. Lucy shook her head, before bursting out in tears. Mary tried to comfort her and I decided it was better to leave them alone for now.  
  
When I stepped out of the doors, I realized I was in the little office that connected to the hospital wing - or what was left of it.  
People buzzed around busily, tending to the many, many wounded. The worst part was that these people were the lucky ones. I shivered, Thinking of all the people who'd died, Adele, the queen, Celeste, Maxon... But I hadn't actually _seen_  Maxon die. If he was alive, he had to be here somewhere, his legs got injured.  
Bed for bed, I got more desperate.  
_He has to be in the next bed_ , I kept telling myself. _He has to be_.  
Suddenly I bumped against a nurse.  
I let out a whimper, my shoulder was hurting. 

"Sorry." She said. 

"Excuse me,"I said, "is Prince Maxon here?"

She shook her head, before hurrying away to help patients.  
My whole world came crashing down. He wasn't here, which meant either he super healing abilities, or he wasn't here. He wasn't here and he wasn't anywhere.  
He was gone.  
I fell to my knees, ignoring jolt of pain.  
What would I give for the chance to see him again? For the hopeful butterfly kisses? For him to call me 'my dear' and for me to give him a poisonous glare for calling me that?  
It was a strange kind of sadness, nothing like the times I had broken down after a stupid fight with the girls or Maxon. It was a quiet kind of sadness, and awful empty sadness. I felt hollow. With my good arm, I reached for my throat, gasping for air, even though nothing was preventing me from breathing.  
_Maxon, Maxon, Maxon._    
  
My panic attack got interrupted by a familiar voice.  
  
"Mer? Is that you?"  
  
Even though my knees felt weak, I managed to stand up and walk to the hospital bed. Aspen sat upright. He had a small cut on his forehead, but what worried me most was the cast on his leg. 

"Thank god, Aspen, you're alive." I sighed in relieve, while I seated myself on the edge of his bed.  
_As Maxon often did on mine_. Quickly I put away that thought. 

"What happened to your leg?"

"A rebel got to me, I'll walk, but I'll need a cane."

"Oh." Was all I answered. How else was I supposed to react? 

"Hey Mer, I need to tell you something." 

"What is it?" I asked, eager for anything that would distract me from thinking about _him_. 

"You see, I will always love you and you'll always have a place in my heart-" 

"Stop." I interrupted. I couldn't handle this right now. 

"No, I need to say this, Mer. I will always love you, but you were right; I thought I could never love anyone else because I had never looked at anyone else. I had you."  
I nodded. "But when I lost you, I started to open up my heart to the possibility of loving someone else and i may have found someone."  
I gasped. 

"Aspen, that's wonderful!" I exclaimed.

I was happy for him, truly. "And you deserve better than someone who's only option you were."  
I looked him in the eye I grasped his hand.  
"And you deserve better than being a safety net." I said. "I love you."  
"I love you too." He said back, squeezing my hand.  
We both knew that this love was different, not romantic, but really all the same.  
  
\-------  
We got interrupted by a messenger. 

"Lady America, The king is asking for you." He said. 

The king was probably furious with me. He would certainly blame his son's death on me.  
_It is my fault, I should have stopped him from running towards the rubble, I should've come into action sooner._  
I followed the guard, trying not to look at the red stains in halls, trying not to think of how every stain was a person who had died.  
We finally arrived in front of the big wooden doors. The guard knocked.

"Your majesty, Lady America has arrived."  
A maid opened the door and King Clarkson was not sitting in the bed.  
It was Maxon. _King Maxon_.  
I couldn't help myself, I launched myself into his arms.  
Both he and I grimaced, our wounds were hurting.  
It was worth it, this was nothing compared to the pain of thinking he was dead. 

"Maxon!", I cried, "you're alive." 

"And so are you." He chuckled. He stroked my head. "I thought you died." He whispered softly. 

"How are you alive? That rebel took a shot at you..."  
Maxon suddenly looked sad. 

"My father... He protected me."

"He cared for you." I said. Clarkson Schreave may have been a tyrant and a bully, he may have liked violence more than I could forgive him for, but at the very least he loved his son. 

"I'm sorry about your parents."  
I really was. Amberly had already felt like a mother to me. 

"It doesn't feel real." He stared into the distance. "I keep thinking that my mother will be in the women's room and that my father will be in his office. I keep wanting to correct people when they call me 'king'."

"I know how you feel." I said, thinking of my dad. 

"I know you do." He responded.  
After a few moments of peaceful silence, he asked me: "would you please get that piece of paper on my desk?"  
Happy I could do something for him, I did.

"You can read it." Quickly I read the piece of paper. 

"Oh Maxon, this is amazing!" I said. He wanted to get rid of the castes.

"I've been working on it since you told me that you'd gone hungry before."  
Tears of joy made their way to my eyes. 

"It's not perfect," he warned me, "it's going to take a long time."  
I nodded. It was absolutely wonderful.  
"I was so angry when you pulled that stunt on the Report, because I had a plan for it, though mine is a bit more... Subtle." He grinned.  
"And there's one more thing."  
I don't know what I was expecting, everything was so weird right now, but it certainly wasn't this.  
He pulled out a small dark-blue box and opened it. Inside was a beautiful diamond ring.  
"Because of my broken leg, I can't get on my knee." He said apologetically.

"What does this mean?" I asked, totally dazed. 

"I thought the meaning of this was pretty universal." He joked. 

"But I should explain, about aspen." I stammered. 

"I understand enough. I now know you love me."  
I looked at him, I didn't get it.  
He sighed. 

"America, you literally took a bullet for me. I'm pretty sure that you love me now." I nodded. I did, love him that is. "I almost ruined both of our lives by asking you to leave, and now I won't let you go again.America Singer, my heart is only yours to break. I love you. Will you marry me?" 

Overwhelmed with happiness I gave him the only answer could, because realizing I could lose him, made me see I couldn't stand to live without him. 

 

"Yes."

 


End file.
